Sr Sri says government not Art of Living to be blamed for damage to Yamuna river bed

Founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Tuesday blamed the government and the National Green Tribunal for permitting his NGO Art of Living to hold the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna river bed and said they should be held responsible if any environmental damage was caused.

Ravi Shankar head said the foundation had obtained all necessary permissions, including from the green panel, and the event could have been stopped in the beginning itself if river Yamuna was so fragile and pure.

“If, at all, any fine has to be levied, it should be levied on the Central and state governments and the NGT itself, for giving the permission. If the Yamuna was so fragile and pure, they should have stopped the World Culture Festival,” Ravi Shankar said in a Facebook post.

He accused the NGT of defying all principles of natural justice and said “a historic programme deserving of applause and appreciation is unjustly projected as a crime”.

“World over, cultural programmes are held on riverbanks. The whole idea was to bring awareness to save the river. The Art of Living that has rejuvenated 27 rivers, planted 71 million trees, revived several ponds is being projected as destroying a dead river. What a joke,” he said.

“The AOL had obtained all the necessary permission including the NGT’s. The NGT had the application file for two months and they could have stopped it in the beginning. It defies all principles of natural justice that you give permissions and slap a fine for not violating any rules,” the post read.

In a statement, Art Of Living spokesperson Soumya Ghosh said “the NGT can never get over the blot it has brought on itself by delaying natural justice to AOL and allowing its own committee to malign the law abiding organisation in the press.”